SummerLove
by Freakishlylovable
Summary: Gabriella has never been one for romance, but this summer might change that. Her mother is making her move yet again and Sharpay and Ryan and determined to show their friend that this world is full of love and romance, whether she's ready or not.
1. The Right Amount of Initiative

Disclaimer- I don't own High School Musical or the characters...I'm just borrowing them for my story.

I always need to start a new story and I am in a summer mood so I'm writing this story. Sure to bring summer friendship and romance. Please, read, review, and enjoy. I'm just getting started so I promise the next chapter will be better.

Gabriella Montez awoke to a familiar sound in her house, her mother rushing around frantically packing a suitcase for her next great adventure. At least that's what her mother calls her business trips, adventures. As she likes to say, every trip she takes holds a new possibility. Mostly for money in her case. She is a business lawyer, who travels often, mostly she deals with old grumpy men who screwed each other over in a deal gone wrong. A horrible profession if you ask Gabriella, but Mrs. Montez had heard Gabriella's strong opinions on her job enough times (especially after Mr. Montez left because of the constant moving), she learned never to ask.

Her mother's job always had her darting from place to place, leaving old friends making new ones then leaving the new ones and making them old. It was the circle of life for Gabriella, but her mother had done the unimaginable...she stood up to her boss and said she would not take any cases that would make her and Gabriella travel away from home. "Gaby has school to think about." explained her mother to her boss. And the boss agreed, but Mrs. Montez forgot one tiny detail, summer. No school is in session over summer, so three months away from home would definitely not break the deal placed forth. Lawyers. So the Montez girls are leaving their home and going away for the summer to deal with another case.

At first Gabriella protested, she had friends in this town and she intended to stay here during the summer. It was her only break from her hectic life and she wanted that break with her friends. Sharpay heard of the news of the move and instantly offered one of her many extra bedrooms as a temporary home for Gabriella. But then, Sharpay heard of the destination.

"Wait," Sharpay said, a few days before Gabriella was to leave for the trip. "You have to live by the beach? Why are you upset about that?" Of course Sharpay would love the beach. At the moment the two girls were lounging in bikini's on the side of Sharpay's pool soaking in the sun and breathing in the fresh summer air. Magazines galore surrounding them.

"Well, yeah. But it's a small town in North Carolina. Not Malibu." Gabriella said, wanting to knock some reality into Sharpay. It was a little town where nothing interesting ever took place. She couldn't take part in her normal activities, partying, shopping, and flirting. What was there to find in this place?

"And you get to stay in a beach house?" Sharpay asked, ignoring what Gabriella just said, wheels turning in her mind. Gabriella saw a plan about to be hatched a sighed, but carried on in explanation.

"Yes, but a small one. Not a mansion, not like your house." Gabriella quickly said, pointing to the grand mansion before them, reflecting in the pool water.

A smile broadened across Sharpay's face. "Shar...what are you thinking? It's not party central, don't even mention it, I wanna stay here with you." Gabriella said.

"Well, if it's not party central we'll have to make it that won't we?" Sharpay said lifting her eyebrows in a suggestive way. Gabriella knew this was coming.

"No Shar, I wanna stay here." Gabriella said, wanting to distance herself from her friend. She did not need Sharpay dragging her in.

"Look, my parents are going away on that cruise all summer. Ryan and I need somewhere to go and you're gonna need some company. So..."

"Shar, there is no way anyone would agree to this." Gabriella said.

"Um, yeah they would." Sharpay said, with a "duh" face on. " You're mom will be working all day, she won't even know we're there. Besides she loves me, and Ryan's gay, it's not like there's gonna be any issues with him staying."

"It sounds good on paper..."

"And it's good off of paper too." Sharpay said, making up her mind, smiling. Then she grabbed her cell phone that was sitting on top of a _Cosmo_ and automatically started dialing numbers.

"Shar, what are you doing?" Gabriella asked, growing weary.

"Finishing what we started." Sharpay said. "Someone here has to take the initiative to get this done."

"Who are you calling?" Gabriella asked, sitting up so quickly that her sunglasses fell off of her face.

"Your house." Sharpay said, while playing with the ring on her pinky nervously. She knew how to take control of a situation and get what she wanted, but she always has a fear of the answer to her plan being a no.

"Now?" Gabriella asked, her mouth gaping. "But I never even agreed to this!" Even though Gabriella would have agreed if she knew her mother would say yes, but she was sure that wouldn't be the answer. Sharpay just gave her a confident nod and then started talking into the phone.

"Mrs. Montez? Hi it's Sharpay!" she said, with her famous stage voice. "I wanted to talk to you about Gabriella for a second, if that's okay." she said, looking over a giving Gabriella a smile.

"She is taking the move kind of hard, so we had an idea. What if Ryan and I come? Our parents are gone all summer and they wouldn't want us home alone. And we'd help with the house and keep Gabriella company." Sharpay quickly explained. Gabriella just rolled her eyes at the "help with the house" comment. She was sure Sharpay couldn't live three days without her maid.

The air was thick as Sharpay and Gabriella waited for a response, but then, the loud squeal from Sharpay came.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Montez! You won't regret this!" Sharpay said, turning towards Gabriella with an elated face and giving her a thumbs up. She looked like she couldn't contain herself.

"Okay, thank you again, we will abide by all the rule. Promise! Bye!" Sharpay said, clicking the phone shut and then letting out another girly yelp of excitement. But within the next second, she returned to her cool collected self.

"The deal is done." she said with a cunning grin.

Now, Gabriella was up and out of bed, getting some last minute packing done before they left to pick up Sharpay and Ryan. She grabbed her makeup bag, flipping the contents onto her now clean bed to see that it contained everything. She had foundation, mascara, eyeliner, lipgloss, all the stuff needed to look great everywhere she went. Whether it be the beach or the party Sharpay was convinced to throw. Then she messily threw them back in the bag and did the same dumping process with her suitcase to make sure all the shirts, skirts, bathing suits, and undergarments she needed was all packed and ready. Check, check, check, check, everything was there.

"You always were the master speed packer, but never the most tidy one." Mrs. Montez said, stepping into Gabriella's room wearing a business suit she usually wears when meeting high paying clients.

"Mom?" Gabriella asked, with a confused look on her face. "It's a plane flight. Why are you dressed like that?"

"After the flight I'll have to head right to a meeting." her mother explained, with a look of guilt. "I'm sorry, but Sharpay and Ryan will keep you company. The rental car is at the airports already, I got two, one for you and me, so you can drive it to the house and make yourself at home. Okay sweetie." Gabriella just sighed.

"I'm taking that as a yes, now come on, we can't miss our flight." she said, clapping her hands together to make Gabriella speed up.

"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill." Gabriella said, even though her friends were coming, it felt like it was going to be the way things always were, TV dinners and taking care of herself. But little did Gabriella know this move will be anything but ordinary and will be a summer she will never forget.


	2. The Jogging Guy

**Hey, here's a new chapter. For some reason I can't get my best writing out in this story yet. I have the entire thing planned and it will be fun to write, there was just some stuff I had to get out of the way. So I'm hoping the next few chapters will be a lot better, and from the way I'm planning it, filled with tons of drama and romance. I really hope to get some reviews, so please review!!**

* * *

"I bet this is going to be the best summer you've ever had." Mrs. Montez said, as she hurriedly drove (over the speed limit) to Sharpay and Ryan's house trying to make their flight. Gabriella just nodded in agreement, she truly was excited, just about the Sharpay and Ryan part though. She had never known a summer at home and wanted to experience that. But a beach house with her best friends was the next best thing.

"Of course I expect you to abide by all the rules." Gabriella's mother added. "I even took the liberty of writing them up for you. You can give them to Sharpay and Ryan when we arrive." Gabriella examined the list, most of the rules seemed simple enough to follow. At least for Gabriella, she can't imagine Sharpay cooking her own food or cleaning the house herself. She silently chuckled at the thought of Sharpay trying to do her own laundry, it was a good thing she brought a video camera. Then there were some rules that Gabriella knew would be broken, like no parties or staying out past curfew. But she had the suspicion her mother would be working so often that there would be no worry of getting caught.

"Easy enough." Gabriella responded to her mother about the list of rules. "But do I really have to give them to my friends? I can just tell them right?"

"Fine," her mother huffed. "As long as you cover all of them."

"I'll be sure not to leave a thing out." Gabriella reassured her. There has been a growing concern in the back of Gabriella's mind that she wanted to ask her mother. Was she even going to be around?

"Mom, what's up with all these rules?" Gabriella asked. "I mean, cooking every night is something you would do. And a lot of these things don't even need to be written, they are just known. You can act all mother on us if we don't follow them, why did you take the time to write them up? Are you even going to be around?"

"Well..." her mother said, treading through her words very carefully. "This case is going to be very time consuming. And I just wanted to be sure that you can handle yourselves. I did promise Mr. and Mrs. Evans that this summer would run smoothly, I think the rules are needed if I'm not always around."

"Okay," Gabriella said a little let down. She didn't intend on spending boatloads of time with her mother, considering her friends were going to be with her, but she wanted her mom to be there. It was a little bit saddening.

"Oh, and Gaby?" Mrs. Montez asked.

"Yeah, Mom?" Gabriella said wearily, her mother only used that tone if she was about to ask a very uncomfortable question.

"Do I need to worry about Ryan staying over?" she asked. Even though Ryan was gay, I guess the fact that he was male still concerned mothers.

"Mom...Ryan is like a brother and as gay as they come. You do not need to worry." Gabriella said, with a smile.

"Okay," her mother said with a breath of relief but still that tone in her voice. "He isn't going to bring any...males...over is he?"

"Um..." Gabriella, said, trying to suppress the laughter in the way her mother said "males". "I will recite the same rule that you gave to Sharpay and I 'No boys allowed over without your presence in the household'"''

"Okay. Good." her mother said, relieved. Her mother liked Ryan, just was never the most comfortable with the gay idea, that was something she usually pushed to the side and ignored unless it had to come up. With his attire it was obvious to everyone, but Mrs. Montez did not want to know of anything more of the subject than his attire. The rest was too new-age for her.

"This summer, will be fun." Gabriella said, reenforcing her mother's original point as they finally arrived at the Evans house. Sharpay was already waiting out there, waving her hand back and forth like a madwoman, Gabriella could tell she definitely had some coffee this morning. She was in her pink "air travel" sweat suit as she liked to call it. With so many bags it looked like she was staying for an entire year instead of a couple of weeks. Had she ever heard of laundry?

Ryan was standing next to her, with fewer bags, but still a large amount, reading a book called "The History of Hats". There was no doubt in Gabriella's mind that one of his many bags were filled with hats.

She ran out of the car and after a quick greeting to her friends, began the painstaking process of loading all the luggage into the car. It took a long time, but finally everything fit. Just hopefully the tires can handle all the extra weight.

The two twins bid Mrs. Montez a hello and then the teens instantly started talking in the car. Mostly about what they were going to do or what they packed. Mrs. Montez, of course, made Gabriella recite the rules to her friends. She could see Sharpay wince at the sound of each one. Miss Evans will either have to be a good girl this summer or become very sneaky.

"Do those rules sound okay, kids?" Mrs. Monte asked.

"Yes, of course." the twins said in unison, even though from the look Sharpay shot Gabriella, she knew they would be following very few of them.

Once on the plane taking them to North Carolina, the teens were separated from Mrs. Montez who had a seat far away from them, they were grateful to say the least.

"I hope there are some really hot guys in this town," Sharpay said with the dreamy look in her eyes that she always gets when she is on the topic of guys.

"Yeah, me too." Ryan added. Sharpay and Gabriella just laughed, as Sharpay gave him a light punch in the arm. "Bro, I'm accepting and all but I so did not need to here that."

"But it is our job to find a guy for Gabriella." Ryan said, pushing Sharpay's comment to the side.

"Me?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"Yeah, her?" Sharpay said, with in the same confused way. "What about me?

"Aren't you dating Brad?" Ryan asked.

"Sharpay has decided that Brad is too controlling and bad dressing for her, so she's ended things." Gabriella said, answering for her friend.

"Yeah, the guy had no sense of style." Ryan commented. "How did he take it."

"She said I _decided,_ I haven't actually told the guy yet." Sharpay said. Gabriella just rolled her eyes.

"I am a non confrontational person." she said, defending herself.

"No you're not." Ryan and Gabriella said together. Sharpay was the most confrontational person the world has ever known.

"Yeah, but when it comes to breaking up with hot guys, I don't. It leaves my options open if there's no one else out there." Sharpay explained.

"Okay, but we're on the lookout for Elle." Ryan said, with emphasis on Gabriella's nickname Elle. Only Ryan called her that, and Gabriella would let only Ryan call her that. Everyone else could stick to Gaby.

"Why me?" Gabriella asked. "I don't even want a boyfriend. At all. It's not something I need right now. I just wanna spend a summer with my friends."

"You don't think you need it, but you're seventeen." Ryan explained. "I think every seventeen year old is required to fall in love just once."

"Love?" Gabriella repeated. Whenever someone said that word she got a sinking feeling in her stomach. She hated that word, it was always a mistake to say and usually a lie. Gabriella never says that word to anyone but her mother and her friends. No one else deserves it than the people who she truly trusted. "I don't believe in love."

"Oh, would you please get over you're daddy drama?" Sharpay asked, referring to the incident of her father leaving her mother. "It's been years."

"It's not my daddy drama, it's just, I'm always moving around. A guy and I can never be together if I'm constantly on the move." Gabriella defended. Sure her father's departure might play a role, a big one, at least for why she doesn't believe in love all the time. But it doesn't mean that his actions are affecting her, at least that's what she hoped. It affected her mother too much, and she honestly didn't want to turn into that.

"Way to hit a rough spot." Ryan whispered to Sharpay, nudging her. Gabriella was just staring off into space.

"Hey, Elle, back to planet earth here." Ryan said, waving his hand in front of Gabriella's face. "You okay?"

"What? Yeah, of course." Gabriella said covering. "I just don't want a relationship."

"Well, what about a summer fling?" Sharpay asked, devilishly.

"Now there's an idea." Ryan pointed out. Gabriella rolled her eyes, her friends and there ideas. But a part of her liked that idea, just hooking up with a guy for three months. No words like "love" or "commitment" or "relationship" just a guy to make you feel happy. She'd never had that. Maybe, just maybe, that was what she needed.

"I'll take that as a yes." Ryan said to Sharpay.

"Well, there hasn't been any protesting." Sharpay added.

"Wait a minute..." Gabriella was about to tell her friends not to get ahead of themselves.

"Too late! It's done!" Ryan said, cutting off Gabriella. "You are officially a part of our plan."

The plane landed, and Gabriella's mother, as promised had to rush off to a meeting. Sharpay was elated, not because she didn't like Mrs. Montez, she just didn't like the company of parents in general. The three friends got into the car that Gabriella was assigned, pointing out places in the small beach town and around it, that they had to visit. Who would've guessed there was a club, tons of places to eat, and a million places to shop. Not to mention the beach. Gabriella wasn't as far away from civilization as she thought she would be.

As they pulled onto their road, the twins in the backseat of the car could not contain themselves, the houses were all different colors, making the street like a rainbow, and they were pointing out the one's they wanted. Hoping that each house they passed would be theirs' as the colors got more and more vivid. Gabriella was more fixated on finding the correct house, and finally she did. It was blue, a bright, ocean colored blue. It was small, but nice, enough room for everyone. And in Sharpay's words, "A killer party house."

"I can't believe we're here!" Sharpay yelped. Then she turned around in awe and saw the beach that was lying just across the street. Waiting to be swam in, and the sand waiting to be laid on, offering perfect housing to sunbathers everywhere. "This is perfect."

As Sharpay was picking out her perfect sunbathing spot, and Ryan volunteered to bring in some bags, since his sister's bags were the one's the filled the car, but Gabriella was eyeing something else than the ocean. Jogging on the beach was a gorgeous, beyond gorgeous guy. Sandy blonde hair, perfect abs. From far away she was already stricken by his attractiveness. But to her dismay he caught her staring and offered a wave. She quickly turned around and pretended not to have been looking or have saw him, but Sharpay knew better.

"Who was that guy?" she asked with a smile. Gabriella stiffened up, she knew Sharpay would rope him into the plan if Gabriella answered, 'oh just some guy I was randomly staring at and practically drooling over.' So instead she opted for the answer. "Him? I don't know, he was just some weirdo who waved. I just got here, how would I know someone?"

"Right," Sharpay said, absolutely not believing her.

"Let's get inside and check out the house," Gabriella said, changing the subject and turning to the blue house, Sharpay bypassed her and quickly ran in. So Gabriella used her absence to look back and see if the guy was still there, but he was gone. Gabriella shrugged it off and went inside.

While there, Ryan had already established his room. It was, aside from the master bedroom the biggest room in the house.

"Are you kidding me?" Sharpay said, walking in and admiring the room she wanted, with her brother's stuff in it. "Why do you get this room."

"Well, A- I brought your stuff in and B- the other room has two beds for you and Elle, whereas this only has one. So it's mine. Deal." Ryan said, then he plopped down on the bed and flicked through the pages of his book about hats.

So, Sharpay begrudgingly made herself at home in the other room. The girls divided up the one closet they had. Gabriella, having far less clothes than Gabriella, let Sharpay had a little more room, but Sharpay still had to pile some clothes neatly on the closet floor and leave some others in her suitcase's, which lined the wall by the closet. Then the girls unpacked their beauty supplies, taking up all the space on the dresser in the room and making it a vanity. And in-between the beds the girls placed there stereo and boatloads of mixed CD's.

"Perfect!" Sharpay said after all the hard labor was done. Gabriella admired the room, it did look good. "I'm gonna go get Ryan then we can head to the beach before dinner, okay?" Sharpay asked.

"I don't know, can't we stay in tonight? I'm tired." Gabriella said. Sharpay rolled her eyes

"No, just a few minutes though, promise. I have to see what we're working with in this town. And maybe that guy will be there again." Sharpay said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh my God, it was a wave!" Gabriella said, tossing her pillow at Sharpay.

"And a longing stare on your part." Sharpay said, tossing the pillow back to Gabriella. "I think we have our first target." she joked. "Let's go see if he is worthy of the Great Gaby."

"Fine, I'll go." Gabriella said, finally caving. As Sharpay got changed, Gabriella began reaching into a drawer and pulling out a simple black one piece bathing suit and an oversized shirt to throw over it.

"No way," Sharpay said about that ensemble. Then she raided that drawer, and the drawer next to it, which was her own. She pulled out a yellow bikini. Thankfully there were no annoying patterns on it, and it covered a little more than Sharpay's pink dotted one did. And also a white wrap to keep her semi-covered, and yellow wedged flip flops.

"Perfect," Sharpay said, looking at the outfit laid out on the bed. "Now put that on and take you're hair out of that messy bun, let it's beauty shine." Sharpay said cheerfully as she ran out.

Gabriella obligingly took her hair out of the bun and slipped into Sharpay's outfit. She wandered over to the mirror, expecting the worst. But as she studying herself she had to admit one thing...she actually looked kinda good. Sure, she wasn't the curviest of beings, but she was skinny and looked nice in the bikini. And her wavy and slightly messy hair made her look like a beach goddess. She quickly dabbed on some bronzer and was ready to meet her friend.

When she met them downstairs, Ryan was in a bright pink and very shiny paisley bathing suit, with a matching hat, while Sharpay awaited in her pink bikini and...high heels. Typical Sharpay.

"Ready?" Gabriella casually asked, going over to leave her mom a quick note explaining where they were if she were to come home early. It was a rule.

"Looks like someone got a makeover from Sharpay." Ryan said, referring to Gabriella's so unElle like garb.

"Yeah, she's looks beyond gorgeous." Sharpay said, running over to examine her work. "Yes, it's perfect." Gabriella felt very uncomfortable being fawned over like this for her looks, even if it was just by her friends. "Can we go now?" she asked.

"Sure, I'm ready to get a tan." Ryan said, leading the way.

As Ryan and Sharpay set up sunbathing camp at the beach, Gabriella decided to take a quick walk. The water was gorgeous. It was perfectly blue and looked so calm, she was tempted to dive in that instant, but went against it since it was around sundown and the water was bound to be freezing.

"Beautiful isn't it?" an unfamiliar voice said, coming from behind her. He sounded kind of out of breath. Gabriella turned around to see the guy jogging down the beach who waved to her. God, he was even more gorgeous up close. His eyes, they were the color of the ocean she had just been admiring. Gabriella had to remind herself not to stare.

"Yeah, amazing." she replied. The guy came to stand closer to her, Gabriella couldn't help but notice his eyes quickly traveling up and down her body.

"You vacationing here this summer? I saw you in front of one of the rental homes." he said.

"Um, yeah," Gabriella replied, uncomfortably pushing a stray hair behind her ears. "You?"

"I'm a townie. Born and raised." he said with a form of pride. "I live a few houses down on you're street actually."

"Really?" Gabriella said, suddenly gaining more interest.

"Yeah, the only bright green house on that street, can't miss it." he said. "I'm Troy by the way." he said, extending a somewhat sweaty hand. Gabriella gladly accepted it.

"Gabriella," she replied with a smile, she couldn't help but notice he had a smile on his face too.

"Well, maybe I could show you around town sometime. Some of the hot spots and stuff." he said. "You're friends can come along too." he said, motioning to Ryan and Sharpay who were basking in the sun, though Gabriella could've sworn she saw Sharpay watching them.

"Yeah that would be great." Gabriella replied.

"Tomorrow, around noon?" Troy said, initiating the meeting. "I'll pick you guys up at your place."

"Yeah, sure." Gabriella instantly said. Way to not sound eager, she said in her head.

"Cool, I'll see you then." he said, before waving goodbye and taking off jogging. This time Gabriella waved back, and to herself repeated his name.

"Troy"


	3. A Good Feeling

**Here's another chapter. And thank you for the review...I hope for more!! FYI this chapter is a filler one. I know the story is moving a little slow, but I promise the next one will be far more interesting and there will be some Troyella fluff...but bear with this one until then. Review!!**

"It's a date." Sharpay said, while throwing yet another perfectly acceptable top across the floor like it was a piece of trash. "It's so a date. In one day, you've managed to get a date. I hate you for that, FYI."

"Shar, for the last time, it is not a date!" Gabriella said while picking up the shirt that Sharpay threw and putting it in it's proper place. "He is showing me, you and Ryan around town. Not me, all of us. So chill with the date stuff."

"Oh my God Gabs, he is hotter than hot. Nice choice." Sharpay said continuing on her rant and throwing another shirt, which Gabriella picked up as per routine, trying desperately to keep her room clean and follow her mother's rules. Unlike Sharpay.

"Shar!" Gabriella said, throwing a pink flimsy shirt at Sharpay. "It's not a date. It is him showing us around. You don't need to go insane picking out all these clothes," Gabriella said, pointed to every shirt and skirt that Sharpay had looked at, decided wasn't good enough, then threw on the ground. "You have no need to impress him."

"I know I don't have to worry about looking fabulous, I always do. These clothes are for you, Hun." Sharpay said tossing a low cut pink top at her friend. "You need a boyfriend this summer, and trust me when I say I'm getting you one."

"Okay, again I will say I don't need a boyfriend." Gabriella reminded Sharpay, looking at the promiscuous shirt thrown her way and tossing it into the hamper.

"Oh yeah, thanks for correcting me. I meant no strings attached fling, and this Tom guy is perfect for it." Sharpay said.

"Troy," Gabriella corrected, as she mindlessly looked at her own clothes. "His name is Troy." At the moment she was thinking about how perfect that name sounded coming out of her mouth, but she would never let Sharpay know that. Then this would be made a bigger deal than Sharpay had already exploded it to.

"Right..." Sharpay said, not actually caring. "How are you going to find anything guy catching worthy in all of this. I mean, your camp t-shirt from three years ago? Please, do you have anything but this stuff?"

"I like it," Gabriella said, instantly snatching her favorite shirts before Sharpay got rid of them. "They hold memories."

Sharpay just shrugged and started asking random questions, about Gabriella, her clothes, Troy. Everything. "What color are his eyes?"

"Shar, I'm done with these questions." Gabriella said. Sharpay just shot her a look and Gabriella caved. "Blue."

"Okay, so you are officially wearing blue." Sharpay decided. "What shade?"

"Shar, I'll wear blue okay, but don't push it!" Gabriella ordered. Sharpay shrugged yet again and pulled out something blue of hers. It was a ocean blue halter top, coupled with a mini (really mini) skirt that was a pale shade of denim blue, frayed at the bottom with little rips in it here and there.

She thrust the outfit into Gabriella's hands. "Try it on, I'll go find you a pair of shoes. Thank God we're the same size." Sharpay said before diving into the closet again.

"Sharpay, come on, this is so not me." Gabriella said, protesting and throwing the clothes onto her bed.

"Look, it's different than the jeans and an oversized t-shirt look you love so much, but just try it. You can rock it, just like yesterday with that bikini that you almost didn't wear. Didn't that get you a date with this guy?"

"Not a date!" Gabriella shouted, for what felt like the millionth time.

"Really? Because I kinda thought it was, or at least a lead on to one." Ryan said walking into the girls room, without permission like he usually does. "Nice outfit." he said, pointing to the one on Gabriella's bed.

"Told ya." Sharpay mumbled from the closet.

"I'm not wearing the outfit." Gabriella said, in a huff, sitting on the bed. "It's not me, and it's not a date."

"Fine, not a date." Ryan said, giving up. He took a seat next to Gabriella and looked over the outfit. "But it might be if you wore that. You'd look amazing. And come on, a summer fling is most definitely needed."

"Maybe I don't want one." Gabriella said.

"Yeah you do," Ryan said with a smirk. "Just try it on and see how you look."

A loud bell sound suddenly rang through the house and Gabriella looked out her window, seeing Troy waiting at the front door, bouncing around and moving his weight from foot to foot.

"Well, that's the only outfit we have, so you might as well use it." Sharpay said, then she ran to the banister that the girls had in there room. "We'll be down in a second, I'm Sharpay by the way!"

"Hey," Troy shouted back, awkwardly waving at Sharpay who was dressed in a sparkling, pink tube top, shorts, and pink heels. "I'll be waiting." he added.

"Try on, now!" Sharpay yelled, grabbing some lipgloss then Ryan's hand and dragged him and herself out of the room.

"Answer the door at least?" Gabriella shouted down the hallway, not wanting to let Troy think she forgot about him.

"No, that's your job!" Sharpay added, reappearing out of Ryan's room wearing one of his crazy hats, this one a pink satin one. "Do you think this looks good on me?"

"Ugh," Gabriella said, letting out an exasperated sigh, before shutting the door and without any other choice throwing on the outfit Sharpay picked out, coupled with the white wedge flip flops from the other day, then she took her hair out of the pony tail and ran out of her room. Not even bothering to check herself in the mirror, but praying she looked okay.

"Hey," she said, the second she opened the door. She found Troy with his hands wrung together, but they immediately loosened when he saw her.

"Hey," he replied, he let his eyes wander up and down Gabriella again. Gabriella noticed this time, but by the look on Troy's face she took it that she looked pretty good, so didn't really mind. But she made a mental note to thank Sharpay later on.

"Um, you look great." Troy said, trying to slip that comment in as casually as possible. Gabriella quickly looked down at her outfit. "Oh this?" she asked. "I just randomly threw it on." she said with a giggle.

"Come on in," she said, letting Troy enter her house. "Sharpay and Ryan are almost ready."

"Actually we are ready." Sharpay said, walking down the staircase like it was a fashion show runway wearing Ryan's hat. Ryan casually walked down behind her. "Wow, Gabs, that's such a cute outfit. You look so pretty. Doesn't she Troy?" Sharpay asked, putting on her famous "innocent" face.

"Yeah," Troy said in a way that sounded totally and completely honest. "She really does." Then he quickly shook his head, as if he was wondering why he just said what he said. "I think we should get going."

"Yeah, totally." Gabriella said, standing right next to Troy. She motioned for her friends who were standing at a distance to come closer, but they never did. Not then and not during the entire two hour tour. They kept a distance giving Gabriella and Troy some much needed time together.

When the door was finally over, the group bid there goodbyes.

"Thanks Troy, you're an awesome guide." Sharpay said, before she ran into the house.

"Definitely." Ryan added, going inside too. Gabriella was about to follow but before she knew it Ryan shut the door in Gabriella's face, leaving her outside, alone with Troy. Gabriella ruefully turned around. I shouldn't be this nervous around a guy, she thought to herself.

"So, that was really great. I mean, I can't believe a small town like this has a teen club. I have to admit, that is cool." Gabriella said, now facing Troy.

"Yeah, over the summer I'm there almost every night. Friends and I just get together and hang. You should come sometime." Troy said.

"Yeah, sure!" Gabriella said, the words just fell out of her mouth, she didn't intend to say them. "I mean, if I have the time I can try and make it."

"Okay, here, give me your cell so I can call you and let you know in advance when we're going. With your busy schedule and all." Troy said with a grin.

"Sure." Gabriella said, taking out her phone and handing it to Troy. Their eyes locking for a moment, but then they both shyly looked away.

"Typical Gabriella." Sharpay said, looking out at Troy and Gabriella at the balcony. "That would've been a perfect moment to kiss the guy!"

"Give it time." Ryan said. "It'll happen. I have a good feeling about these two."


	4. The Coffee Shop

**Sorry it took so long...and this isn't the best chapter. I'm still trying to feel my way through with this story. So please stay with me while I try to find my way!**

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"Why didn't you kiss him?" Sharpay asked, her head propping up on her pillow as she stared over at her roommate. It was seven in the morning. Way too early to be up during the summer in Gabriella's mind. But Sharpay was wide awake and wouldn't stay awake alone.

"Oh my God, I hardly know the guy!" Gabriella burst out, thrusting the blankets off of herself and getting out of bed. She was getting sick and tired of this line of questioning. "Will you stop?" Gabriella asked, throwing a pleading look over to Sharpay. Sharpay looked back, obviously disappointed, but she knew her friend so she regretfully gave up.

"Whatever you say." she mumbled, now getting out of bed herself and making her way to the bathroom. Suddenly there was a loud screech that made Gabriella jump.

"God, Shar, what?" Gabriella asked, walking into the bathroom. Sharpay stomped out of the bathroom hiding her face.

"I have a blemish." she moaned. "So much for all that expensive french face wash. What a rip off." she ranted.

"Okay, Shar. Makeup. Easy answer." Gabriella said. She didn't feel like getting into a beauty conversation this early in the morning with Sharpay so she made an excuse to leave. "I'm gonna go explore town a little." Gabriella quickly said, knowing it would be hours before Sharpay was convinced she put enough makeup on to leave the house.

"So, see you soon." she mumbled while throwing on a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

Gabriella already walked through town yesterday with Troy, but the town seemed to look so much different walking without him. Maybe that was because she wasn't constantly distracted when his voice changed as he got excited about a spot in town. Or maybe because it was that she wasn't constantly trying not to look at him while she was being tempted to. Now, it was just her, the road and the ocean. Beautiful.

She breathed in the salty ocean air and suddenly remembered a summer down by the beach when her parents were still together. No, she told herself, don't go there. She kept repeated that to herself, that thought about her family felt like a stab to her chest. But she was good at distracting herself with other thoughts when her broken family came back into mind.

Like what she was going to do this summer. There were a million things to do, a million people to meet. This thought got Gabriella excited. She could be a different person this summer. Live a different life. For three months her life might not be filled with her dreary, cynical attitude. Maybe a summer in this place with her friend's could make her as Ryan would say, Ella. Or just, someone she wanted to be. Someone she lost a while ago. Someone she wanted back.

Somehow Gabriella's feet brought her to a coffee shop just as she was getting thirsty and hungry. As she walked in, she felt the aroma of coffee beans fill the air and quickly looked at the comfortable seating, but the window with the view of the ocean attracted her the most. The entire color palate of the place reflected that view, she was so distracted by it, she forgot to order.

"Miss? Miss?" the annoyed cashier asked. "What can I get you?"

"Um, a mocha frappachino please." Gabriella quickly said, recovering herself. The cashier basically demanded money, gave Gabriella a glare, and just walked away to get her drink, letting Gabriella stare back out the window.

Maybe this was destiny, she thought. Being here for a summer. Maybe Ryan and Sharpay were right, maybe things could be fun this summer. Maybe she just had to let go and relax.

With the ring of her cell phone Gabriella suddenly tensed though. It was a text message, from who of all people but Troy Bolton, that read... "So ur into girly drinks huh? I pictured you more daring. A mocha frap? Kinda pathetic."

How did he know what she ordered? Gabriella quickly turned around and saw Troy, still in his clothes from running, with his hair soaked with water looking at her with a crooked grin.

"Now you're not just a runner, but you're a stalker too." she said with a smile, walking a bit closer to him, his easy smile and manner drawing her in against her will.

"Well, you know, I gotta mix it up sometimes." he said his grin growing. Before Gabriella could say anything else, he quickly brushed past her and in a second her was back with her drink.

"That's Paulette," he said, pointing to the lady behind the counter. "She gets a little testy if you make her wait."

"Good to know." Gabriella mumbled, taking the drink from him. She quickly eyed Paulette, she looked about her own age. Shoulder length blonde hair, and dark eye liner surrounding her green eyes with earrings of the same color dangling against her face. She looked at Gabriella, then at Troy, and didn't look pleased.

"I forgot to warn you. If you treasure your life, don't look at her." Troy mumbled, gently grabbing Gabriella's shoulder and leading her to a table.

Gabriella let out a giggle, was he always this confident? "Um, who said I was gonna sit with you?" Gabriella asked, still smiling so he wouldn't be offended.

"Well," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "Me, and trust me you don't wanna argue with that." he said, looking her directly in the eyes and Gabriella instantly didn't care about the direction this walk around town was going in.

"You're just full of information." she mumbled. She quickly glanced over again and saw Paulette staring at them, anger in her eyes.

"Did I just not tell you not to look at her?" Troy asked, lightly laughing like he was enjoying his own private joke.

"I don't exactly feel comfortable when strangers stare at me." Gabriella said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Well, I thought you would've been used to that by now." Troy said with a smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Gabriella asked, now grinning too.

"Well, I'm just saying with a girl as beautiful as you, you're bound to get some attention." he said, somehow their bodies had moved slightly closer to each other during this brief conversation. Gabriella felt herself blush. She always blushed. She hated when that gave her away. And Troy seemed to notice too, since he smiled a confident grin then jumped right into another conversation.

"Meet me at the beach tonight?" he asked. "Bonfire, fun, friends, and of course me."

Gabriella's hands slipped on her drink a little, almost causing it to spill. Now her heart was racing and panic mode came. "Um, I don't know. Maybe. I'll see if I'm free." she lied as she stumbled out of the seat and stood up.

If Troy looked hurt he didn't show it. "Okay, hope to see you."

"Yeah," Gabriella said, uncomfortably saying goodbye and leaving the coffee shop, silently cursing herself.

Why did she always do this. With her it was always fight or flight mode when she liked a guy. And the fact that she had to fly away, fast, meant she definitely liked Troy. "Crap." Gabriella muttered as she made her way back to her house. Ryan and Sharpay are gonna use this against her, that was for sure.


	5. Something's Definitely Up

**Sorry for the long update, I've been busy. I haven't been getting many reviews for this story so I hope I get a review for this chapter! Enjoy!**

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"Something's up." Ryan said in a quiet tone while he was eying Gabriella who was flipping through a magazine on the couch a few feet away.

"Something's definitely up." Sharpay agreed, both her and her twin taking a sip of their coffee at the same time.

"She looks flustered." Ryan commented.

"And agitated." Sharpay continued.

"Definitely thoughtful." Ryan added.

"Her eyes have that dangerous look in them." Sharpay said, while silently examining her friend.

"A guy." the twins concluded. With that a wicked grin spread across both of their faces. It was like they were suddenly conversing in their own silent language, with waving hands and head nods and the rapid shaking "no" of the head. Gabriella noticed this, and looked up.

"What are you doing?" she asked. They were acting suspicious, and suspicious and the Evans twins in the same sentence was never a good thing. Oh God, she thought, they could tell. They knew her too well, they were like her brother and sister. Great.

"We're not doing anything Ella, what's up with the paranoia?" Ryan asked, taking the seat on the couch right next to Gabriella. She was ready to get up, but Sharpay sat in the next seat, squishing her and basically trapping her into the couch.

"Yeah, anything happen on your walk this morning?" Sharpay asked, not-so- innocently. Gabriella immediately blushed, trying to think of a response. Oh no, nothing happened, only that some psycho waitress looks like she wants me dead and Troy invited me to a bonfire to see just him. Yeah, that would get her nowhere.

"Nothing." Gabriella said, blushing immensely.

"Troy." the twins said in unison, both knowingly nodding to each other. They had been right.

"Not Troy!" Gabriella said, finally pushing Sharpay away and standing up in protest. "Definitely not Troy." Ryan just rolled his eyes. Like he always does when Gabriella tried to brush off something important in a not so subtle way.

"He asked you out didn't he?" he asked, grinning. Gabriella shuffled her feet from side to side, not quite sure what to say.

"Um, not out, out. But out, just not alone out. Like outside out, the two of us being outside out. But with other people!" Gabriella ranted of, but sure if she was making sense. She certainly wasn't making sense to herself.

"Okay, slow down, and back up." Sharpay said, moving her hands into a calming motion like she was taught to in yoga. "What exactly did he say?"

"He said there was a bonfire tonight and wanted to know if I could come." Gabriella said, blushing but turning her head to the side.

"Score!" Ryan whispered, raising his arm in victory.

"Anything else?" Sharpay asked, edging Gabriella along. One thing that she has learned about her friend after all this time is that once you get her talking, it's kind of hard to get her to stop.

"Um, there might have been some minor flirting involved." Gabriella added. Ryan and Sharpay grinned even wider.

"On who's part?" Ryan asked. Gabriella sheepishly shrugged. "Both, maybe," she said trailing off. "I'm bad at this kind of stuff, so I honestly don't even know!" she said, now almost hyperventilating.

"Okay, again with the calmness." Sharpay interjected. "How did you end things?"

"Um, I sorta ran?" Gabriella said, half shamefully, half laughing at herself.

"Are you kidding me, Ella? You ran?" Ryan practically shouted. Typical Ella move, he thought to himself.

"Well, in my defense," Gabriella said waving her hands wildly. "There was a psycho waitress who looked like she wanted to kill me at any second!"

"You lost me." Ryan said.

"Oh, never mind!" Gabriella shouted more with her hand motions than with her voice, then she turned around and went upstairs. Probably to consume herself in her thoughts even more.

"Don't you think that just because you run that you don't have to go to that bonfire! I'll drag you by that gorgeous hair of yours if I have too!" Sharpay shouted up to her from downstairs.

"I hate to say this Shar, but maybe this is a lost cause." Ryan said with a sigh after Gabriella left. "Have you ever noticed, that around guys, Ella is sorta, oh what's the word...insane?"

"I think she's just crazy in general." Sharpay said mindlessly brushing off the comment. "But it shouldn't even matter because Gaby deserves to have the summer of her life. She hasn't had all of the stuff that you and me have and I think she wants it, she just won't admit that she wants it. And as her best friends, it's our job to figure out what she wants and go and get it for her." Sharpay explained.

"And she wants Troy." Ryan concluded.

"Yes, so that's what we'll get her."

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"Ow!" Gabriella said, as her head was jerked to the side as Sharpay straightened the many layers of her extremely thick hair. "Um, that seriously hurts. A little easier? I don't wanna be bald."

"I don't know, you might pull it off better than Britney." Sharpay joked. "And that look is what you're gonna get if you don't sit still!"

"Fine." Gabriella said, caving and letting Sharpay continue with her torture. She looked around the room sure that Sharpay would have laid the clothes that Gabriella was to wear for the bonfire. On Sharpay's bed was an outfit that looked like it vomited pink. That was Sharpay for you. Then her eyes darted over to her own bed, laying there were white shorts, really short shorts, and a black halter top.

"Um, no." Gabriella said, referring to the outfit. Sharpay looked over to where Gabriella was staring and giggled.

"Yes." she said. "You'll look so hot."

"I'll look like a slut!" Gabriella complained.

"I don't think you can wear anything that would make you look slutty. Just not your persona Babe. But if you do look like a slut, at least you'll look like a hot one." Sharpay explained.

"Shar, I don't even want to go. You and your evil mind tricks just dragged me into going against my will." Gabriella continued with her whining.

"My mind tricks, or Troy's?" Sharpay asked with raised eye brows. Gabriella immediately avoided eye contact with Sharpay and muttered something under her breath. Sharpay couldn't help but let out another giggle.

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"Come to the bonfire. Brilliant idea." Gabriella said muttering to herself standing a great distance from the fire, closer to the ocean. Sharpay was making out with some guy, Ryan disappeared off the face of the earth, and Troy was nowhere to be found. This was turning out great.

"So, you like mocha frappichinos and talk to yourself too. I'm learning something new about you each time I see you." said a voice from behind Gabriella. She turned around to the now familiar voice to see Troy standing there in all his gorgeousness.

"Again with the stalking." she said, this time with a smile. Even after her episode at the coffee shop, she was glad to see Troy and equally as glad to see that he was eying her up and down. Obviously impressed with the outfit.

"You know, when I invited you to the bonfire, I meant, go to the bonfire, not stand a good two hundred feet away from it." Troy said with a lighthearted smile, once his eyes finally zapped back to Gabriella's face.

"Yeah, well, not my thing." Gabriella said quietly. Troy instantly stepped closer to her his head leaning in very close to her own. "Then why'd you come?" he whispered, his breath hitting Gabriella's face and making her incapable of breathing.

"I...I...don't...know." Gabriella stuttered out. Why was he standing so close to her? Why wasn't he backing away? God there lips could practically touch, he wasn't moving. Why wasn't he moving?

"Yeah you do." he said, this time brushing some of Gabriella's fallen hair behind her ear, back into place. Gabriella felt a weird sensation rising in her. "No," she whispered. "I truly, honestly don't."

"Well," Troy said, continuing his whispering monologue. "I like your spot at this party much better than the others." he said, his lips grazing her's as he spoke, then he put his hand behind her neck and pulled her into a kiss, which she eagerly returned.

For a second, all the fear she had been feeling had been lost. But this was Gabriella Montez's life, so serenity doesn't last that long.

"What the hell are you doing making out with my boyfriend, bitch?" a harsh voice shouted from a few feet away. Goodbye serenity.


	6. Fooled

**Sorry it has taken so long to update, I got really sick and then school hit me hard. But I'm going to try and update more often now. And thank you for all of the reviews, please keep them coming. I promise I won't leave you hanging as long this time!**

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Gabriella was lying on her bed, trying to get to sleep, but she found herself replaying the events of the past night in her mind. Why couldn't her life just be normal? Why did it have to be like she was starring in some sick teen drama where all the drama seemed to happen to her? And why couldn't she get the feeling of Troy Bolton's lips off of her own?

That's where the problem started actually, when Troy kissed her. Sure at the time it felt magical and her dream of a perfect summer felt like it was coming true. But who was she kidding? This was her life, not Cinderella's. Now that kiss felt fake and cold and manipulative. He kissed her when he had a girlfriend, how else was she supposed to feel after that?

"Troy, what is going on?" Gabriella asked, instantly pushing Troy away. Pushing him away was harder than she thought, it was like there lips didn't want to leave each other. But when Gabriella was kissing a guy and the words "boyfriend" and "bitch" are used in the same sentence by another girl, she knew that was the time to create some distance.

Troy's eyes seemed bluer than before and looked instantly to the ground. Gabriella couldn't help but scoff a little. Was he actually hiding from her? She finally forced herself to turn around to the girl she obviously grossly offended. To her surprise, it was the girl from the coffee shop. The pretty one who Gabriella noticed was agitated when she sat with Troy. The one Troy said to ignore. The one who looked like she wanted to kill Gabriella. Now it all made sense.

Gabriella's eyes darted back from Troy to Paulette the coffee girl, not sure what to do or say next. This was not the kind of situation she was used to or any good at dealing with. Troy was still staring at the ground with a frustrated look and Paulette's eyes were darting back between her and Troy. Gabriella finally made a move.

"Look, I am really sorry. I honestly had no idea." Gabriella said quietly. Tears felt like they were building up in her eyes and throat but she quickly swallowed them down to get through this. She told herself she could act like a girl when she was alone. Paulette looked more angry than ever, but Troy seemed to quell the anger by gently touching her arm, which calmed her. Gabriella wanted to vomit.

"Paulette, could you please go now?" Troy asked the blonde girl, his eyes almost pleading. Paulette looked appalled and so did Gabriella. Is this how he treated his girlfriend?

"No, Troy. I'll be the one to go." Gabriella said, turning around and making her way back to the beach without looking back. That was the last time that she ever intended to see Troy Bolton.

Once she was sure she was away, the tears wanted to crawl up on her even more. She hated it when she was fooled. She hated it when she felt stupid. And she hated it when she felt used. And that's exactly what she felt right now. If only she would have stuck with Sharpay and Ryan instead of all of them going there own way.

Through her tear brimmed and blurry eyes she scanned the area where the bonfire was being held without actually moving. After a few minutes she caught a glimpse of Ryan's satin hat and quickly made her way over there. He was sitting around with fire with a guitar strumming a few notes and humming a song. Gabriella didn't want to speak for fear of her words coming out as a cry, so she waited for Ryan to look up and realize something was wrong. Finally when he finished his song he did look up.

"Hey Ella, look at this awesome guitar I found lying on the beach? Is it my lucky night or what?" he asked with a wide smile that usually could put a smile on his friend. But not this time, and Ryan noticed. He, along with his guitar stood up and came closer to Gabriella. "What happened?" he asked, scanning the beach for any obvious signs of something that would upset her.

Gabriella just shook her head and whispered, "Can we go?"

Ryan nodded his head, "Yeah," he said. "Let me just find Sharpay." Ryan left Gabriella's side for a moment and traveled to an area where a bunch of tents were set up. Gabriella saw the people in the tents putting them up earlier, they were planning on camping on the beach and surfing at sunrise. Ryan went to a tent and rapped on it with his hand. "Shar, times up. Let's go. Ella needs us."

There was movement in the tent, but after a few seconds Sharpay emerged with her hair a little ruffled. Ryan just rolled his eyes as Sharpay fixed his hair.

A guy suddenly came out of the tent looking confused. "Hey, we were kinda busy here?"

Sharpay just rolled her eyes. "Please," she said putting her hands on her hips. "We were done. Kissing you was like kissing my old Aunt Pearl. Trust me, you weren't gonna get any farther than a makeout session with all that acne." she said before she stomped off in Gabriella's direction. Ryan glared at the guy and mumbled something under his breath but caught up with Sharpay.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Sharpay asked Gabriella. Again Gabriella shook her head and in almost a whisper said, "Can we just go?" Sharpay and Ryan grabbed there things and swiftly lead Gabriella away from the people and fire until they were safely home, where Gabriella quickly retold her story then insisted she was ready for bed. Before Sharpay and Ryan could protest she went upstairs, got changed, and pretended to sleep when they checked on her. While doing this Gabriella realized that her mother still wasn't home. This was not the summer she had hoped for.

And that is what led her to now, laying on bed, wide awake. Sharpay and Ryan were sleeping by now, but Gabriella was wishing she had just stayed at Sharpay's house this summer. Taking chances got you no where she decided. Just as she was feeling the least bit tired, her cell phone vibrated. It was a text message from Troy.

Gabriella so badly wanted to believe that she would delete it, but she knew that she wasn't strong enough for that. So she weakly opened it. It read....You don't know the whole story. There is no other girl. Let me explain. Coffee shop, tomorrow at ten. Mocha frap on me.

Gabriella stared at the message for a while then closed her phone. Her stomach felt even more knotted then before. What was her next move?


End file.
